Pakistan's foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar said on Thursday the United States risks losing an ally if it continues to point fingers at Islamabad.
The tensions are fast escalating between Pakistan and US after Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Admiral Mike Mullen has accused Pakistani intelligence
ISI of using the Haqqani network to carry out a "proxy war" in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad to cut ties with the terror group.
"You will lose an ally," Hina Rabbani Khar told "You cannot afford to alienate Pakistan, you cannot afford to alienate the Pakistani people. If United States is choosing to do so than they will be doing at their own cost."
Further adding that Pakistan is an ally of United States in the war against terrorism.
But it is to be noted that Khar’s warning to US is just to become popular in domestic politics or does it mean anything substantial to the United States accusation that Haqqani network, a powerful faction of the Taliban was a "vertible arm" of the Pakistan’s spy .
The tensions are fast escalating between Pakistan and US after Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Admiral Mike Mullen has accused Pakistani intelligence
ISI of using the Haqqani network to carry out a "proxy war" in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad to cut ties with the terror group.
"You will lose an ally," Hina Rabbani Khar told "You cannot afford to alienate Pakistan, you cannot afford to alienate the Pakistani people. If United States is choosing to do so than they will be doing at their own cost."
Further adding that Pakistan is an ally of United States in the war against terrorism.
But it is to be noted that Khar’s warning to US is just to become popular in domestic politics or does it mean anything substantial to the United States accusation that Haqqani network, a powerful faction of the Taliban was a "vertible arm" of the Pakistan’s spy .
After a spate of high-profile attacks in Afghanistan, including the attempt to attack the US embassy and NATO headquarters in Kabul last week and the assassination of former President Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani., Admiral Mike Mullen said Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) played a role in the September 13 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.
Meanwhile, Foreign Office spokesperson Tehmina Janjua was quick to reject US allegations that the ISI is using the Haqqani network for a proxy war.
US lawmakers have questioned the inordinate delay in designating Haqqani network as a terrorist organisation; which top American officials believe is responsible for the recent attack on its Embassy in Kabul.
Recently Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff met with the Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and CIA Director David Petraeus met with ISI chief General Pasha over the issue.
In the meetings a stern message was given to Pasha and Kayani that they must take steps to prevent the safe haven that the Haqqanis (terror network) are using.
In order to keep a normal relationship between US and Pakistan , it is imperative that Pakistan actively break its ties with the militant extremists and destroy sanctuaries in Pakistan, particularly the Haqqani group in North Waziristan and the Afghan Taliban shura in Quetta.
On the ther hand Rehman Malik promised to act against the al-Qaeda linked Taliban faction if the US provides actionable intelligence.
"I have assured them (the US) they are not on the Pakistani side (of the border with Afghanistan) but if there is intelligence which is provided by the US, we will definitely take action," Malik told .
The US blamed the Haqqanis for the September 13 attack on the US Embassy and NATO Headquarters in Kabul, as well as attacks on US soldiers in Wardak province on September 11, the 10th anniversary of September 11 attacks .
Keeping in view the already frayed relations between both the countries following the U.S. military raid inside Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden,the number of US troops in Pakistan has been decreased .
Pressure is mounted on Al qaeda by the drone attacks but at the same time, these attacks have led to inflaming anti-American feelings in some sections of Pakistan.
But there are reports following recent US accusations ISI had backed the Haqqani network in carrying out terror attacks in Afghanistan, Pakistan has apparently been secretly lobbying for a defence pact with China though the initiative has been met with caution in Beijing, which feels that such an agreement could put the two 'all-weather' allies in trouble with the US and India.
Pakistani retired generals are in favor of bolstering ties with China to prepare for a possible military action by the US.
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